


Best Friends Forever

by Moriartyisback



Category: Supernatural
Genre: De-Aged Castiel (Supernatural), De-Aged Dean Winchester, Fluff, Gen, Just happiness all over, Kid!Cas, Like a really shameless amount of fluff, M/M, Sam Ships It, Witch Curses, kid!Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:27:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24720808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moriartyisback/pseuds/Moriartyisback
Summary: Did they really have this spell prepared for them? For their arrival? It is just his luck he was the only one that has moved to the other room. He doesn’t want to think about the possibility of the three of them turned into... this.In which Sam hates witches and has to babysit two kids that also happen to be his big brother and his Angel friend.
Relationships: Castiel & Dean Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 35
Kudos: 368





	Best Friends Forever

**Author's Note:**

> So this is just a shameless, utterly big amount of fluff AKA Cas and Dean being cute as fuck and Sam needing a vacation.  
> I advice you to pour a glass of whisky to balance the sweetness in this.  
> I hope you enjoy!

“Son of a bitch!” Dean grunts into the empty room with an airily movement of his arms. 

Castiel and Sam follow swiftly, panting slightly as they stop beside Dean, looking around to the fully furnished room, although empty of witches. 

“I thought you said you were certain this time, Cas” Dean complains, tucking his unused gun with unused witch killing bullets into the back of his jeans. 

The Angel sends the hunter a look that could easily compete with Sam’s bitch face, although it doesn’t make Dean stop his annoyance with the fact that, yet again, these witches have escaped them.

“I was certain I had tracked one of them successfully, Dean” Cas’s deep voice is full of premeditation “Just like you did,  _ last time _ ”.

Sam gives them an epic eye roll as they start arguing and puts his gun away. He thinks he is more useful looking around in case the witches have left something behind than listening to his brother and an Angel of the fucking Lord bickering like an old married couple. 

He steps into the next room of the house and starts skimming through the vast collection of papers and books over the table when suddenly he feels it, before he sees it. 

A soft shaking of the ground. The wood around on the walls and shelves cracking. A whoosh of air and he is too late when he turns around to the door he has just stepped from. 

“Guys!” he calls as he sees how a mix of colored lights grows in the other room. Pink, blue, yellow and white exploding as they merge together in a light so bright that Sam can do little else more than cover his eyes and wait for it to stop. He hears the sound of surprise Cas and Dean drop and prays for them not to be dead- _ or worse _ .

As soon as he can open his eyes and the floor stops shaking he runs to the other room, long hair falling over his eyes. He has to push it away and blink for a moment to the picture displayed in front of him. Among the mess of books and papers that have flew away from the shelves to the floor there are two kids, staring up at him with big, bright eyes. Toddlers, really. They can’t be more than three or four years old. And they are swimming in adult clothes. Not any adult clothes. A long, too long trenchcoat and a red flannel. 

“No...” Sam whispers, shaking his head. No, this can’t be happening. “No, no...”

_ Damn witches. _

Did they really have this spell prepared for them? For their arrival? It is just his luck he was the only one that has moved to the other room. He doesn’t want to think about the possibility of the three of them turned into... this.

“Dean?” he asks, frowning as he observes the green-eyed kid. His hair is a few tones lighter than he is used to nowadays. The blond he recognizes from old photographs Dean keeps in his room at the bunker. The same freckles all over his face...

“Yup” the boy says, smiling up at him in a way that makes Sam think that maybe, just maybe Dean’s mind is still intact and just his body has changed. That would be a bitch but better than the outcome he is thinking of. 

“Do you know who I am?” he asks.

The green-eyed boy looks up at him with another smirk and replies “A giant!” 

_ Shit _ \- Sam thinks, closing his eyes.

The cutest laugh he has ever heard sounds beside Dean and Sam remembers the second toddler in the room. 

He looks at Castiel, Angel of the Lord. His dark hair disheveled on his head, sticking in all directions. Almost like the adult version of his vessel always had it. He is so small the blue tie hanging from his neck reaches the floor, along with the sleeves of his dirty trenchcoat. His blue eyes are big on his face and his lips are even more pink than the adult’s. It is the cutest thing Sam has ever seen. Second close coming his now  _ little _ brother beside him. 

“What the fuck man” Sam says, shaking his head as both kids start giggling, Dean covering his mouth with both hands. 

“You said a bad word” he says, looking up at him while Sam is there, thinking he will have a heart attack. 

No no no, this really can’t be happening. He has no time, nor will or even the nerve to take care of two small kids. He needs to find the counter spell for this mess, asap. He needs to find these damn witches and put a bullet in their funny-ass brains.

“Okay guys... listen to me” Sam says, raising his hands to get their attention “I’m going to fix this, I promise.” he says, although more for himself than the kids, who are oblivious to their own problem. Remembering nothing of what had happened, as it seems. 

“I’m Sam” he says.

“Sammy. Like my little brother” Dean says, matter of fact.

“Yeah, I  _ am _ your little brother. Long story, pal” he says when the only thing he gets from Dean is a confused look that has not changed an inch for almost forty years now.

“My name is Castiel” the little Angel suddenly says. His voice not at all the deep, gravelly tone the adult always carries around, but it seems to have the same effect on Dean, who turns his head to look at him, lips parted in awe. 

“Castiel” he repeats with a solemn nod, staring at the Angel like he has just found the best treasure he could unearth. 

The Angel smiles at him proudly and Sam claps his hands. “Okay, we are getting out of here” he announces, crouching down to grab both boys on his strong arms and lifting them up. “We have to find you new clothes” he shakes his head as he leaves this godforsaken place they should have never enter. He makes a mental note to call Rowena as soon as he has his hands free.

** ~~~~~~ **

****

****

“Woh” Dean says as soon as they arrive to baby. Seems his tastes are still the same, at least. 

“Yeah Woh” Sam goes along with a small smile, fishing with one hand the keys to baby from the back of Dean’s jeans. 

“I want to sit beside Cas” Dean says immediately. Apparently the nickname sticks, no matter the age.

“Uhm, yeah, sure buddy” Sam says as he settles the boys at the back of the Impala, buckling one up beside the other. 

“And I’m hungry” he announces. Sam sighs. This is a fucking nightmare, but it’s not like he isn’t used to the very same behavior with the adult version of Dean. “Sure thing, we’ll stop on the way home” he says. 

Sam feels beyond weird when he slips into the driver seat and adjust the rear mirror to watch the two kids, sitting beside one another. He starts the engine and drives away quickly just as he hears Dean speak again. 

“Cas. Your eyes are pretty”

Sam almost whiplashes himself as he turns his head to stare at his brother, staring at the Angel as he says this. Well, he knows kids have no filters but hearing Dean say this to Cas is a little too unexpected not to be surprised. 

He sees Cas smiling at him, brighter than the sun. 

“Thank you, Dean”

Sam wonders if he has always been like that, when he has been just a fleeting wave of celestial intent, just barely created. He knew Cas wouldn’t look like this, that this was just a kindergarten version of Jimmy Novak. But still. 

He turns his head back on the road and drives to the next city as quick as possible, listening all the way to the cute conversation having place at the back of the Impala.

When Sam leaves the car and opens the back door he informs “I will go to that store and buy you some clothes that fit you. Then we’ll go to a dinner and eat something”. 

The boys just stare at him and nod their heads innocently. 

Sam has never been more distressed of leaving those two alone.

He closes the Impala and rushes to the store he has parked in front of. He knows it’s not good to leave two kids alone in a car, but he won’t be carrying them in with adult clothes hanging from their feet. 

He is back soon enough with a bag full of clothes. Just a few of them. He prays for this spell to be reversible and not just that, to go away as soon as possible.

He changes Dean first in the back of the car, smiling softly when he sees the amazed face his brother gives him when he sees his t-shirt is Batman themed. Castiel’s one has kittens all over it. Apart from that is just matching trousers and shoes because Sam is not that imaginative with toddler’s clothing. He has almost bought matching shirts with _ Daddy’s favorite boy  _ written on them, finding it hilarious since they both had more unresolved daddy issues than your average citizen but he had stopped himself on time. 

He steps into the dinner with Castiel on his arms and Dean padding behind him in close distance. He gets into the farther booth he can get and sits the boys together, slipping on the seat in front of them. 

”... And then the cat made this and the dog run away and it was awesome and then I wanted to get the cat but dad said I couldn’t” Sam hears the story Dean is telling Cas just with mild interest, wondering if it is a memory from when Dean had been little. He still doesn’t know how their memories work with this spell so far. Cas is listening intently until the waitress approaches. Dean immediately goes silent, shrugging away shyly as he looks up at the woman. 

“Aren’t you two the cutest things I’ve ever seen” she smiles widely. 

“Hello” Castiel says to her while Dean moves closer to the Angel, looking away from the stranger.

“Are they yours?” She asks Sam, taking out her little notebook to take their order. 

“No...” Sam says, clearing his throat. “I mean, just the shy one” he smiles. “The other is the son of a friend that is... out of town”  _ Nicely put. _

“They are the best-looking couple ever” she smiles at the kids again. “What can I get you sweethearts?”

“Coffee for me” Sam says and looks at the boys. “What do you want?” he asks, although Dean is not looking up at him.

For his surprise is Cas the one that saves the day. 

“Do you want pie, Dean?” he asks quietly, looking down at his companion. Dean nods his head, still glued to Cas’s side. 

“Pie it is” the waitress smiles as she writes down and leaves the booth. 

Sam smiles at them, seeing Dean looking up again as soon as they are alone. It seems the memories are vague, but they know some things about each other. At least Cas reminds that pie is Dean’s favorite food.

He takes advantage of the moment the pie arrives and Dean is busy devouring it to call Rowena.

“No, no Rowena, I’m telling you, this is serious” Sam whispers to his phone as he looks around warily. “No, it’s not cute, it’s a mess. I can’t take care of two toddlers while also hunting monsters” he hisses. “I’m telling you, they can’t be more than three years old and they don’t remember a damn thing. Wait-” Sam fumbles with his phone and snatches a photo of the pair, sending it to the witch. “See?- Oh yeah, I know, they look cute but I don’t care how cute they look, I need to turn them back so, yes, can you please come to the bunker asap?- ‘kay thanks, owe you one- Yes,  _ yes _ , another one” Sam ends the call with a frown, pocketing his phone. He smiles thinly when he sees the kids looking up at him. He will need a fucking week in a spa after this.

They leave the dinner short after, Dean dragging Castiel along from his hand, both walking behind Sam to the car. He can feel how Dean will spend the whole journey sleeping after all that pie and he can’t be thankful enough for that. The boy falls asleep with Cas’s hand on his own and Sam wonders if someone can actually die from overload of cuteness.

Three long hours later in which Dean has not complained most likely because he was fast asleep Sam was parking in front of the Bunker, ready to get home and hit the books. He hoops Dean on his arms while Cas follows them inside. The familiarity of the Bunker makes Sam sigh in relief. Now Dean is awake enough and struggles a little until Sam puts him on the floor. The adult wishes Dean hasn’t slept too much so he won’t have to fight with him at bedtime.  _ Bedtime _ . Fucking Hell. Things were definitely weird, even for them. Dean has already de-aged before, but just to his teen years and still then, he had all his memories intact. It was mostly fine.

_ This _ \- he thinks as he sees the both of them running downstairs into the Bunker with any self-preservation-  _ this is not fine _ .

The hair of Sam’s nape soon stands on end when he hears Dean’s voice from inside the War Room. “Woh! So cool!” hauling up a shotgun almost the same size as him which his adult version has been cleaning the day before. 

“Nope! Nope! Nope!” Sam rushes to him and takes it from his hands before he can blow himself up. “You can’t touch anything, okay? It’s dangerous” he explains, leaving the gun away. 

Now, he realizes, he has to clean Dean’s room. The man has every weapon he owns that’s not in the back of the Impala lying around at hand reach.

“You two can play here” he pushes them to a corner in the War room, although he has little hope he was going to be listened to. “Don’t touch anything!” he warns before he rushes to Dean’s room, taking every weapon he sees to store it away. He will have to hide also a few swords that are lying around through the bunker and some other items the boys - _ Dean _ \- can get and kill them all. This place is not children-friendly at all. 

He is mostly done when he hears a yelp of pain and a muffled cry. 

_ How do normal people do this. _

__

Sam runs back to the main room and finds a crying Dean, down on the floor, just beside the stairs from the library, holding up his bleeding knee. Cas is kneeling beside him, a worried expression on his face that reminds Sam so much of their normal-sized Angel. 

“Don’t worry Dean, it’s okay” Cas says, holding up a little hand to grab Dean’s shoulder in utter comradeship and the other reaches down to touch Dean’s hurt knee. 

A familiar blue glow drops from the boy’s hand and immediately Dean stops crying, looking down in awe to his fixed knee, no blood, not even his jeans are tore anymore. He looks up at Cas, his face still covered in tears, although his expression has changed to plain adoration.

“Thank you” he says shyly and moves up until he can leave a smooch on the Angel’s cheek. Sam has never seen Castiel blush, but he is sure this small version can. The Angel touches his kissed cheek with his hand, looking almost thunderstruck. Sam is almost sorry to disturb the picture.

“Cas” he calls, stepping to them. “Do you have your powers?”

Castiel looks up at him and shrugs with one shoulder. “Not like my older brothers” he says quietly. ”I’m not strong enough. Yet!” he chirps with determination and a little jump so cute Sam thinks he will suffocate. “I cannot fly though” he adds with a soft frown. 

Sam looks at him with a sad smile, not really knowing if the fact that he can’t fly is because he is still too little for that, not at full strength or maybe because of his broken wings. 

“You’ll be so strong!” Dean says firmly. “You’ll be the strongest and I’ll be big like Sammy and we’ll fight monsters!” he declares, looking at his Angel friend. “Okay?” he asks, for a moment fearing Castiel will say no. But the little Angel just smiles and says a very sure “Okay, Dean” and it’s like seeing a tiny version of them for a moment, without all the stupid fights and stubbornness of adults between them. Without all the fear and doubts and anger.

Sam smiles and watches them run away again between laughs and games and he calls “Be careful!” after them, feeling like the suburban dad he will never be allowed to be.

He cleans the Bunker from potential deaths. 

He drinks two glasses of whisky. 

He tries to put at least Dean to bed.

Let’s say, he will prefer to enter a vampire nest with a fork as only weapon.

An hour later and he has managed to change him into one of his own ACDC t-shirts to sleep in. 

“I don’t want to sleep alone” Dean says when he is tucked in the bed, a pouting lip already sticking out. Sam sighs at that. “I have work to do buddy, I can’t stay”.

Dean shakes his head and his eyes move to the door, where little Cas is still standing, watching them. 

“Oh... You want Cas to sleep with you?” Sam asks with raised eyebrows. 

He gets a nod as only answer. 

“But Cas doesn’t sleep” Sam says, looking from Castiel to his brother.

“I can watch over you” Cas says from the door, standing on his tiptoes as he watches Dean. 

Dean gasps. “Like mommy says” he tells Sam secretively and it shatters his heart. Completely.

_ Angels watching over you.  _

This must be the age in which Dean should have lost her. He seems oblivious of that as he calls Cas to yes, indeed, come watch over him. Sam can’t yet grasp how very different this version of his brother is. Adult Dean? He would send Cas to Hell. Adult Cas? He would not ask nowadays.

He gives Cas a little push when he tries to climb the bed and also changes him in one of Dean’s old Led Zeppelin t-shirts. 

As soon as Cas is beside him under the covers Dean’s arms are around him, settling for sleep. Of course Sam does the obvious and takes his phone to snap a photo. He will have so much blackmail material if Dean comes back. No, not if.  _ When _ .

** ~~~~~~ **

“Sammy” someone whispers beside him.

Sam jerks awake over the pile of books he has fallen asleep last night, a page of an old notebook glued to his cheek. He takes it away roughly and looks at the two boys looking up at him. Still wearing their sleeping t-shirts. 

“Shit dude. You can’t do that” he just says, moving a hand over his face.

“I want crunch cookie crunch” Dean says. 

“Right” Sam stands up. Breakfast. That he can do. 

He hears small feet following him to the kitchen and he prepares a bowl with cereal for Dean and coffee for himself. Castiel sits beside Dean in comfortable silence, just broke by the crunch of Dean’s teeth.

After a while the door of the Bunker cracks open and Sam jumps up, relief flooding on his face.

“Rowena?” he calls, standing up to go greet her. 

“Yes, Samuel” Rowena calls back, her heels making a distinct noise over the Bunker’s floor. “You look terrible. Where are the boys?” She asks, following Sam to the kitchen. She stops there, looking in awe to the two small kids that are unmistakable Dean and Castiel. 

“Oh my God” she says, leaving her bag on the table. “Look at them. They are so tiny” 

The boys look up at the red-headed witch without much of a bat of an eyelash, Dean still with a mouthful of cereals. 

“Hello, Castiel” she says with her usual smile for the Angel. 

“Hello” he replies, looking up at her with impossible blue eyes. 

Dean frowns, looking up at the witch, clearly not liking this exchange. He reaches for Castiel’s hand over the table, which the Angel accepts happily. 

Rowena raises her eyebrows and looks back at Sam.

“Is this a thing now?”

Sam shrugs with his whole body, moving a hand to scratch the back of his head.

“I guess so” he says “Dean has been... touchy, to put a word to it” 

Rowena hums and looks again at the pair, who are just looking at each other silently.

“Not much of a change, anyway” she comments. 

“Can you fix it?” Sam inquires nervously.

“We’ll see” the witch walks to the boys and rests her hands on their heads, closing her eyes. 

“I can’t fell anything from the Angel...” she says after a moment “But I can sense powerful magic from Dean. It’s not a spell you can reverse but something that won’t last forever. The spell is wrapped around their DNA but fading slowly. These witches could have enchanted you with some serious spell and instead they choose to play with you. I think I like them”

“It’s not funny, Rowena” Sam sends her one of his trademark bitch faces. 

“It’s a tiny bit funny” she says, walking back next to Sam. “I guess you’ll have to babysit for now, Samuel” she smiles, observing the small hunter and the cute Angel.

“For how long?”

“I’ll give it a couple of weeks”

The sound Sam drops make the children giggle mercilessly.

** ~~~~~~ **

****

****

It’s not something Sam can’t get use to. 

It’s weird, of course. It’s not ideal. But two days after he starts remembering why he had always wanted to settle, have a family, a couple of kids, a white picket fence, a wife, a dog...

The giggles and the races all over the bunker.

The low-key happiness.

Of course he knows it’s something he won’t get and that he doesn’t wishes anymore. He knows now that life is not for him and it’s not for Dean. It’s definitely not for Cas. 

But, truth is, he is glad Dean is having something alike a childhood now. That he can play and run and laugh without worrying about taking care of his little brother. And Cas... he has never seen the Angel smile so much.

Maybe a few weeks of  _ this _ is not that bad, after all.

** ~~~~~~ **

****

****

Sam soon discovers Dean is head over heels. Completely and devastatingly smitten.

He also discovers the Angel is not far behind.

He has always known, perhaps, but it’s so clear as the day now. It’s there in every little thing, in plain sight, no one hides it and it’s easy and it’s  _ good _ .

It’s one day when Sam has brought the boys to a meadow in the outskirts of Lebanon. Cas is sitting in the middle of some red poppies. 

It’s when Dean walks to him, pops easily a flower and tucks it behind the Angel’s ear. 

It’s when Cas looks up at him and Dean leans to press a sloppy kiss to his mouth, although it ends up being somewhere between his cheek and the corner of his lips in his rush to do it. 

It’s when Dean passes by Sam, ears red as the poppy he has given the Angel and Cas is still looking after him. 

It’s when he saves the last bite of pie for Cas, even if he knows the Angel doesn’t need to eat.

It’s when Dean tries one day to stomp his foot over a bee outside the Bunker and Cas stops him.

“No Dean!” a frown settling on his Angelic face. “Bees are good, they make honey and they are our friends” he explains. For Sam’s surprise Dean apologizes immediately and spends the next hour and a half listening to Cas explaining to him how bees make their houses.

It’s when Cas keeps giving Dean little things he finds outside the Bunker. A rock that looks like an arrowhead. A white feather. A beautiful colored leaf... 

Dean keeps them all on the shelves of his room. His small treasures.

It’s also when Dean does something not that impressive like climbing the counter to grab them some candy and Cas looks at him like he hung the moon and the stars in the sky.

It’s when one day Sam walks in on them sitting on top of the War Room table, with Cas counting every freckle on Dean’s face.

It’s obviously when Sam is doing some research in the library and the boys have managed to get every pillow and blanket in the Bunker to build a  _ real _ pillow bunker when Dean says it.

“Cas, you are my best friend forever. And I love you”

Sam chokes on his coffee.

“Sammy?” Dean checks.

“Sammy is okay” Sam coughs over his books. “Don’t mind me”. 

** ~~~~~~ **

****

It happens exactly two weeks and three days after the incident. 

Sam has stopped waiting for it. He just rolls with it. That’s why he startles in the kitchen, when he is pouring some coffee into his mug that early morning. 

He hears his brother’s voice from the corridor. Loud and clear. 

“Dude! Are you kidding me- put some  _ pants _ on!”

Not the three years old light voice he has been used to for the past weeks. 

  
“Sammy!” Dean calls “Sammy!” 

“Dean!” Sam sighs in relief as his brother thunders into the kitchen, in his usual ACDC sleeping t-shirt, fitting nicely now, and thank God, a pair of boxers on. He smiles when he sees Sam and pulls him into a tight hug.

“Man, is good to see you from this angle” he says, patting his back. 

Castiel steps into the kitchen a moment later, wearing his usual blue suit trousers and his white shirt as only outfit. Still, it’s a good of a sight as any other, Sam thinks as he moves from his brother to the Angel, pulling him into a hug too.

“Cas, man, is so good to see you” 

“Sam” Castiel says with his usual gruffly voice. 

Sam can really cry from relief.

Dean goes to the coffee machine and pours himself a mug, giving immediately a few long gulps from the liquid. “Fuck, I missed this” he sighs. “And don’t get me started on the beer” he says, looking at his brother. “I think I got diabetes now” he huffs. “Sam, man, you can’t give a kid that much sugar”.

Sam sends him a killing look.

“You better shut up. It was the only way of dealing with you and thank  _ God _ I had Cas to distract you with”

That makes Dean stop mid-sip to look at the Angel. His cheeks flush pink as he sips his coffee, huffing softly. 

“Yeah, well, by the way, letting us bathe together, Sam, really?” Dean raises his eyebrows at him.

“You couldn’t be a fucking second without him, Dean” Sam says smugly, smiling as he sees his brother’s ears slowly getting red too.

“It was pleasant” Castiel says in a perfectly calm voice that visibly makes Dean squirm.

“Yeah, whatever” the hunter says, stepping away from the kitchen with his mug in his hand. 

Sam smiles at Castiel, clapping a hand on his shoulder.  _ Back to normal, uh? _

** ~~~~~~ **

****

Although it’s not  _ exactly _ back to normal.

Dean still asks Castiel that very same day if he wants to watch that Shrek 3 movie they have agreed about anyway. The deep and gravelly “ _ Of course, Dean _ ” the Angel replies with has the exact same effect on three years old Dean as the adult one.

Dean still gives Cas his last bite of pie and the last spare beer, even if he knows it does nothing to him. 

The little rocks and the leaves and feathers never leave Dean’s room after that, sharing a prized place on the shelves beside the man’s numerous weapons.

Another photo is added to Dean’s collection. An innocent hug and two kids in old rock t-shirts. The edges are yellow from the constant touch of it.

And Sam definitely knows things are not back to normal, not  _ exactly _ , when he walks in on them one day, sitting at the War Room table, whispering things between each other while the Angel kisses every single one of the freckles on Dean’s face.

Sam chocks on his beer.

“Sammy?” Dean checks, looking back at him.

“Sammy is okay” the man says, raising his hand as he pivots on his own feet to leave. “Don’t mind me”.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not used to write fluff but honestly I had a lot of fun writing this one! Told you it was sweet but honestly we need sweet in this show. Hope it made you smile even a little bit.
> 
> Comments and kudos always welcome!


End file.
